Of her Diseases of Chickens 309 



provide fresh runs on which there has been no poultry for 

 several years. 



The following methods have been recommended for dis- 

 infecting the ground. It is doubtful if these are economically 

 advisable. 



Treating the ground with air slaked lime and spading. 



Sprinkling with one of the following solutions : 



1 per cent or 2 per cent sulphuric acid. 



2 ounces of copperas dissolved in a pail of water. 



^ ounce of crystals of potassium permanganate to a bar- 

 rel of water. 



The lime or acid treatments are most often recommended. 

 The infected birds should be kept in houses easily cleaned 

 and disinfected and this should be done frequently to prevent 

 reinfection of the recovering birds. Theobald advises an 

 addition of 3 drams of salicylate of soda to each quart of 

 drinking water to destroy eggs and embryos that may con- 

 taminate it. 



The individual surgical method may be profitably practiced 

 in some cases. It seems to be the only sure method yet ad- 

 vised of ridding an infested bird of the parasites. Wright ^ 

 gives the following description of the method : 



"The old-fashioned cure was to strip a small quill- 

 feather, all but a small tuft at the point, and (moistening it 

 in turpentine or not) introduce it into the trachea, turn it 

 round, and withdraw it with the worms. This is effectual, 

 but requires care to prevent lacerating the windpipe or 

 causing suffocation. In this way 30 worms have been suc- 

 cessfully extracted from one chicken. A very much better 

 method is to take two straight hairs from a horse's tail, laid 

 together, tie a knot on the end of the pair, and cut off the 

 ends close to the knot. This is passed straight {i.e., without 

 twisting) down the windpipe as far as it will go without 



1 Wright, L., "The New Book of Poultry." London, 1905. 



